The Beginning of The End
by AnnaCromwell
Summary: (Starts from The Lost Hero) Diane Cromwell, daughter of Athena, must embark on a quest that will mark the beginning of the end. (Story starts from The Lost Hero and will end at The Blood Of Olympus. No spoilers posted yet. I'm going with the timeline, with my OC inserted. All characters save for OC belong to Uncle Rick.)
1. Chapter 1

I am Diane. Diane Cromwell, daughter of Athena. But most people call me 'Freak'.

Why?

Because I'm the only daughter of Athena with black hair, the one who looks like a younger version of her mother. I wouldn't have been called Athena's child had I not been claimed at a campfire two weeks after my arrival. Till then people thought I was a child of Hecate, or Nike, or even Aphrodite, albeit a smart one. Now, even my siblings cast me odd glances, like I'm a lab experiment put under quarantine, being observed for any symptoms of a dangerous malady. I've learnt to live with it, any way.

Annabeth and Malcolm don't call me a freak or cast odd glances - in fact, they're mostly friendly and very helpful. But even they can't help but stare at me curiously at times. So I do what most people do in such a situation - ignore. But my choices have only help me draw attention to myself.

Firstly, I became friends with Nico di Angelo, the recluse son of Hades whom everybody ignores. Except for that day when I beat Annabeth at swordplay and asked her a favour - to have Nico on our team for capture the flag. Thanks to his shadow-traveling skills, we captured the flag in no time, and I made sure that the banner was last passed to him, so that at the end of the game, the banner's colour changed to obsidian black.

Secondly, I decided to**_ train_ **with him. He is a really good fighter, quick on his feet, wiry and strong, and managed to pin me underneath him in five minutes, trapped under that Stygian sword of his. I train with Annabeth, Percy and the others too, but mostly with Nico.

But enough of chatter about me. Camp has a huge problem now.

Two children of the Big Three have disappeared. Nico and Percy, both gone without a warning.

I last saw Nico five days back, when we were walking along the coast at night. "I'll make sure I beat you in five minutes, di Angelo," I'd said.

"We'll see," was his only reply. It was one of those rare days-rather nights, when he smiled. The next morning, he was gone without a trace. I checked his cabin, since no one was willing to enter Cabin 13. There was no sign he had any plans of leaving. It seemed like he'd been taken. Most probably by force.

Percy disappeared today. We woke up, only to find Annabeth searching camp with a wild expression. She kept muttering that Percy had gone missing. I'm currently looking for both of them right now.

"Any idea, Di?" she asks, looking worried.

"No, Annabeth. Most likely the two have been taken by the gods. That's all I can say about this. Nothing else."

"Which god would do this?" Honestly, I have no clue. but I'd heard about Percy and Ares having a grudge. Maybe him?

"Ares? Doesn't he have a grudge against Percy?"

"No; kidnapping isn't Ares' style. He'd cursed Percy on the battlefield that very moment." She tells me the story about their first quest together, about the fight at Santa Monica.

"So, it isn't Ares. Does any other god or goddess have a grudge against him? Or Nico?" I am desperate for a word about my friend.

"Nico could've had any amount of enemies. I don't know," she replies curtly. I know she doesn't want to look for him, but I need to. We'd reached the amphitheater by now. I saw Rachel walking towards it, and so I break into a run.

"Hey, Rachel? Any word on the two?" She looks at me, absentminded.

"I don't know," she replies. "Nico and Percy, two sons of the Big Three, gone without a trace. How?" Suddenly, her entire body begins to shake, and I take her by the shoulders. A few children of Apollo notice and help me make her sit on a three-legged stool kept in the corner. Why not on the steps?

I get my reply, as green smoke begins to curl around her - The Oracle sits on the three-legged stool. No one had told me that she is the Oracle. However, she begins to speak, her voice ancient and raspy, like snakes and humans speaking together at once.

"_Child of Lightning, beware the earth, __The giants' revenge the seven shall birth, __The forge and dove shall break the cage, __And death unleash, through Hera's rage,_" she speaks, voice barely a whisper, and faints. The boys catch her and make her sit on the steps now. Everyone is staring at me, Annabeth, who is beside me, and Rachel. Chiron comes up to us, face grim.

"Another prophecy," he speaks, and Rachel simultaneously sits up, smoke curling around her again, and she grabs my shoulders. This time she is practically chanting, her voice loud and clear.

"_Son of Death, Child of Wisdom, together find the forgotten kingdom, Repairing a burnt bridge together, finding a cousin gone forever, Daughter of Athena seeks a love true, To find him, find the one with a single shoe._" Rachel really needs to stop yanking me as she speaks - my shoulders may pop.

Son of Death? Nico? So he's alive. I breath a sigh of relief. Child of Wisdom - a child of Athena. Forgotten kingdom - which? A cousin gone forever - someone who was believed to have died, or is dead. Daughter of Athena seeks a love true - Annabeth. Find the one with a single shoe? Now this is weird.

"All campers, assemble for a meeting at the campfire after dinner," Chiron says quickly, then trots over straight to the Big House with Rachel in tow. Campers disperse, leaving only me and Annabeth standing there, Annabeth's head in her hands.

"Percy's alive," I say, as she sits down despondently. "So is Nico. We have to find them. We **_will _**find them." Annabeth looks up, tears in her eyes, and I realize that I have tears in my eyes too, as she reaches out to wipe them. I begin crying slowly - I don't want to lose the only friends I have. Especially not Nico. He was the first to accept me in camp, even before Annabeth and Malcolm and Percy. We need to find a way around this problem, and we need to find it soon.

Dinner comes around too quickly. I sacrifice some food to our mother, hoping that she'll help us both. We eat in silence, and when the dinner is done, sit at the front steps of the amphitheater. The fire is the colour of lint.

"A prophecy were delivered today. And so, the camp requires a quest - two quests, actually. One to find Nico di Angelo, the other to find Percy Jackson. Who volunteers for the first?" Chiron says, and no one raises their hands. While everyone is eager for a quest, no one wants to help Nico. Bloody hypocrites.

"I'll go," I say, standing up. "If no one wants to help me find my friend, to Tartarus with all of then. I'll go alone.

"Alone?" Chiron asks. I voice my thoughts, others be damned.

"Yes, Chiron. Since these hypocrites don't care about a camper gone missing, a son of the Big Three, so to speak, I'll go alone. The prophecy says a Child of Wisdom, and no one except for me has volunteered, even from the Athena cabin. So I'll go alone." Someone speaks up - it's Clarisse.

"The camper you're talking about is a child of Hades. No one wanted him here anyway. It's better that he's gone."

"The prophecy states his requirement to find the forgotten kingdom - and apart from that, Clarisse, you were really glad he was on our side that time at Capture the Flag, when he saved your sorry ass and made our team win, so shut up," I answer back.

"Yeah, Nico di Angeleave, the guy who doesn't have the courage to show his face at the campfire," she says with a sneer.

"Because you guys didn't accept him!" I yell.

"Because he's such a wimp!"

"A wimp who helped win the Second Titan War and the Battle of the Labyrinth, you filthy hypocrite!"

"He just raised an army of the dead!"

"And you just killed a drakon!" Both of us are fighting, my siblings trying to restrain me, Chris restraining Clarisse.

"That was a Lydian drakon!"

"That was an army of Titans he stopped from advancing!" Chiron ordered us to stop, but none of us would back down. Not me, at least.

"You two freaks! You're just scared of everything! You didn't help us when that massive spider automaton attacked camp! And he, he ran away when his sister died! You two are two freaks who can do nothing! A burden to camp!" Maybe it was the Ares aura acting, but I attacked Clarisse with the dagger I owned, pinning her down. She hefts me up, attacking me with her spear, and here we are, fighting in the middle of the gathering. Lamer's body clashes with my dagger, which I deflect, slashing a cut by her arm. She lunges with a scream, and I duck, punching her in her stomach, making her fall backward.

"I am not a freak!" I growl. "I'm not a burden. And so isn't Nico; I will find him, all alone, and I'll prove it that I am worthy of being a daughter of Athena. I'll show it to you, Clarisse la Rue. I'll show you that."

"You aren't a burden, that's for sure," a voice speaks. I turn around to see a lady in a white chiton, her dark hair open around her face - she looks like an older me. At least what I think I would look like. The campers kneel, and so do I.

"You will go and find the son of Hades, and you will have two others with you, but your final journey must be made alone. And you have only a week to spare. Else you will fail to save both. Your final journey will begin at Los Angeles. From there, you will have to prove your worth. Prove it that you're my child. And air isn't safe for you." With that, she erupted in a column of fire. What else am I supposed to save?

"I believe you must get going by tomorrow," Chiron says, looking at me. The campers take one last look at the fire, now orange, and begin to leave. I head back to Cabin 6 to begin packing, when Clovis and another guy, probably a son of Apollo come up to me.

"We'd like to help," the two say.

"You two? Why? Why help me?" I ask. "And who are you?" I ask the other guy.

"Because you need two people with you, and no one else is ready to go. And I'm Will Solace, son of Apollo," he replied

"Then why didn't you say you would go at the campfire?"

"Clovis wasn't there, and to be honest, I wasn't sure. I mean, traveling to Los Angeles," Will gulps.

"No one would want to go to L.A.," Clovis finishes. "Knowing what's there."

"What is there?" I ask.

"You don't know? The Underworld," Will says. The Underworld is in L.A.? Nico never told me. So, if the Underworld is in L.A., then Olympus is... here. In New York. Since Epirus was across Olympia, so Olympus would here.

"So Olympus is here. Where?"

"Empire State Building. but it doesn't matter," Clovis says. "You need to find Nico, and Athena said he was in L.A."

"But he's a child of the Underworld. How can he be in danger there?"

"Maybe he's being held captive in L.A. Somewhere by a god or a monster?" Will suggests. Good point.

"Maybe. When do we leave?"

"Now," I say. "I'm getting my bag."

"Wait, wait, wait," Will says, grabbing my arm. "Wait till sunrise."

"Why? We could cover good distance tonight. Since she said air isn't safe, we have to travel by land. It's better if we start now."

"Air wont be dangerous. Not with a god with you," Will says, smirking. "Go to sleep. I'll wake you up at dawn."


	2. Chapter 2

I had a restless night.

After that dream, I can't think straight, and I don't think I will be able to. After all, I saw my friend almost mauled to death.

Nico was in a place I couldn't identify. A part of the Underworld, probably? But it seemed way more sinister than the Underworld could be, in my opinion. Probably a part which was closer to Tartarus. That would explain the feeling of an evil older than the gods around. He was fighting off a hellhound, and a massive beast that was. At six feet, even while on all fours, he was attacking Nico, its teeth trying to sink into his arm. The Stygian sword kept it at bay, but Nico seemed to week to battle it. It was as if the place was draining his very essence. That shouldn't happen to him in the Underworld. He himself said it gave him strength.

If it wasn't the Underworld, then... I don't even want to think about that.

He somehow managed to kill that beast, but sustained a horrible gash. Stumbling, he rushed towards a river of lava. Was that even lava? It seemed as if fire itself was flowing, like a river of plasma. It was flowing fire. Why was he heading towards a river of fire? _River of fire... the Phlegethon. _He was trying to drink from the Phlegethon and trying to keep him going. That meant he'd already been there too long, since he had no emergency nectar or ambrosia to help him. That stash had expired.

I have to reach him before the week ends, or I may see the dead body of the Ghost King.

* * *

><p>At dawn, I and Annabeth headed for the beach, where Butch, the son of Iris who gave me flying lessons, Clovis and Will were. Will was tapping his foot nervously, Butch trying to stuff pencils in Clovis' nostrils, who is sleeping with a pillow on a rock. How he does that is a marvel.<p>

"Hey, Clovis, wake up," I say, shaking him. "This won't do," Will says, and takes a handful of seawater, splashing it on his face. "This isn't funny, Jackson!" Clovis yells, waking up and hitting Will and Butch with his pillow. Annabeth hears the commotion, and, looking at the three, smiles a little, before subsiding into gloom and stares at the sea. I decide to give her some space.

"Hey Will, what are we waiting for?" I ask him as he resumes his foot-tapping.

"We're waiting for Butch's chariot and my dad," he replies. So that's the god Will was going to call a favour from. Butch's chariot appeared, brought by his brothers, two pegasi tethered to it.

"Butch, I think we should get going. The faster we find Percy, the better," Annabeth says.

"I need to check a few things," he says, rummaging the chariot. That's when the Maserati pulls in.

A red glowing Grand Turismo Sport, the car is driven by a nineteen year old Apollo, with sandy hair cropped short and tousled, and blue eyes like Will. He flashes us a smile, getting out of the car and patting Will on the back.

"My son, off on a quest. You grew so fast," he says reminiscently. Anyone seeing this would wonder why a nineteen year old is calling a sixteen year old guy his son. They'd probably think it was another inside joke. Will smiles at his dad, who then turns to look at me.

"Diane Cromwell, Daughter of Athena, right?" The gods are pretty well-informed. "You are a lot like your mom, and nothing like your siblings. Save for the eyes. That is a trademark of Athena that can't be taken away," he says with a chuckle.

"So there have been previous children of Athena with dark hair?" I ask.

"Sure, girl. There was good ol' Theseus. Even Nestor, the Greek general."

"Wasn't he the son of Chloris?" Apollo smiled.

"You know your history well. After all, a child of Athena. No - he wasn't. He was Athena's son, whom Chloris wholeheartedly accepted, calling him a blessing."

"Oh."

"Anyhow, my son called me. What do you need, my boy? Dad's here," he says, opening his arms.

"Dad," Will begins, unsure of how to phrase his sentence. "I needed your help getting somewhere."

"Where, my boy? Tell me. I'm in the fast lane, from L.A. to Tokyo." I know those are the lyrics to a song, but there is **_no_** fast lane from L.A. to Tokyo. Unless and until some business empire decides to construct a hundred-billion dollar bridge from L.A to Tokyo, and that's when you cross the Pacific.

"Actually, we need to go to that place you just mentioned."

"Tokyo? Sure. I gotta head there anyways. I'll hitch you a ride."

"No, dad. Los Angeles." Apollo's expression darkens.

"The prophecy," he mutters. "Better help them," he continues to mutter. "Listen," he says loudly. "Instead of heading straight to L.A. it would be better if you all headed to center of USA first. You'll find something that'll save you when you need it most, daughter of Athena. And son, you'll meet with a challenge, and if you prove yourself, I'll grant you another favour, no matter how busy I am." Will looked like he was going to argue, but he kept quiet. Clovis picked at his pillow. Meanwhile, Annabeth and Butch had climbed into the chariot.

"Hey!" Apollo said, looking at Annabeth. "Annabeth Chase, right? You were Will's first patient, and he sure did a great job," Apollo says with a smile. He sure is in 'Dad' mode right now. "Anyhow, Annabeth, if you want to find your boyfriend, my cousin, then I suggest you look around Texas. Texas seems good this time. Now, get going. Good luck, daughter of Athena - I hope you find that boy you love." He turns to us, his cocky grin back in place. "Let's get moving, guys!"

We get in the Maserati, Will holding the door open for me. Clovis sits at the other end, laying his head on the side, pillow underneath. Will sits in the front with Apollo, who switches on the radio and starts chatting with us.

"You know, the last time a demigod sat in front with me was Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus. That girl was one knockout. Pity she turned a Hunter, though," he wistfully says. "Anyhow, what station?"

"A good pop station would be cool, dad." Apollo taps a few numbers, and the song 'Glad You Came' stars playing. "Cute girl," he tells Will in a whisper that's pretty loud. "You guys together?"

"Dad," Will hisses. "No. She just came to camp three months back. And just met me last night."

"Three months is good enough to know a girl. She's cute and smart. You sure you aren't lying to me? I'm the god of truth, you know."

"No."

"But you never said you don't like her." Will doesn't answer this one, though I hear Apollo chuckle and see Will's face grow red in the side mirror. I just hope Will doesn't have a crush on me. I don't want any more complications on a quest. "She's blushing," the god mouths. Curse those damned hormones. Will Solace sure is cute though. A comfortable silence settles down now, punctuated only by Clovis' occasional snoring and the steady beats of the song in the background.

"This kid is a son of Hypnos, isn't he?" Apollo asks, looking at me. I nod. "I could tell, what with the snoring and the steady sleeping. This kid wouldn't wake up even if a lightning bolt whizzed past his ear." We laugh, Will turning around to look at me. The journey proceeds silently, and the view from Apollo's car is amazing. We soon get at a lower altitude, and he parks his car in Wichita, Kansas. The center of USA. I shake Clovis, who still doesn't get up. I yank the pillow from under him, and he sits up, face alert and slightly panicked.

"Sorry, Mother! Coming!" he yells. "Clovis!" I snap my fingers in his face. "We're in Kansas, and on a quest."

"Yeah. We're with Will and Apollo, and we're in Kansas. We've seven days to find Nico di Angelo, and you have to find that lost cousin, not to mention a kingdom." For a boy who slept for most of his life, he was pretty alert and well-informed.

"Exactly. Lets get down now." We get down outside Cessna's office - and Athena had cautioned me against air. Apollo regards us one last time. "So, I guess this is till where I can help you. Another favour will be given if you prove yourself, son. And daughter of Athena-" he says, pulling me aside.

"A word to the wise, pun intended, I'd tell you to get that thing quick. And when you journey alone, make sure to keep a stash of apples. At least seven of those. You and di Angelo will need it. Badly. My son will only be able to help you once you come back. And let me tell you, what you're going to face will be beyond your greatest fears. Athena doesn't give her children her hair colour without a good reason. Prove it that you're worth the honour." With that, the god was gone.

"Another of my dad's inspirational speeches, I guess," Will said with a shrug. "He sure is the god of oratory."

"So, we're heading into this shack?" Clovis says, eyeing the old Cessna office with slight disgust. I hadn't mentioned old before, but even then you probably wouldn't have had an idea of what this place was - a ramshackle. It had been abandoned in the 80's, from what I remember. A fire was supposed to have broken out here. Most demigods believe it was the first time a Roman and Greek demigod ever met after the Civil War, as a son of Hephaestus and a daughter of Mercury had gone missing at the same time. And it was no coincidence that two bodies, one with an orange and one with a purple one were found together.

We stepped in, the place still smelling faintly of smoke. It couldn't be possible that the smell had hung there for three decades. Someone was here, and that someone was the one we had to battle.

"So, stakeout?" I mused. "I say we check the main offices alone, and the back hangar together."

"Stakeout?" Will says. "What are you, John McClane?"

"We are Artemis Fowl, Butler and Juliet," I reply.

"Now who's that?"

"Just a fictional character. Now, let's get going." We snoop around a bit, which sounds odd, because no one is supposed to be here. But the feeling of someone watching us is just too hard to shake off. There is no one is the offices, and even on the top three floors. The building had ten floors, but the top seven had been destroyed beyond use and recognition in the fire. We all headed to the hangar, my dagger in my hand, ID card around my neck. Will was fingering the strap of his quiver, Clovis twirling his dagger.

"The smoke's coming from there," Will pointed out.

"It's not ordinary smoke," Clovis said, sniffing the air. "It's poplar dipped in Lethe being burnt. Be careful."

"Poplar? Doesn't that chiefly grow in the Underworld?" I ask. Could Nico be here? "And the Lethe isn't known to flow into the human realm."

"But that doesn't really mean Nico is there, Diane," Clovis said apologetically. _Lethe? Poplar? **Hypnos.**_

"Your dad's symbol, right, Clovis?"

"Yeah. Poplar dipped in the Lethe."

"I don't think we should proceed," Will said.

"We aren't backing down. Not at all. All or none," I say. Will looks at me, concern written on his face.

"You know what Lethe does to humans, don't you?" he says.

"I know. It can wipe my memories clean. I wouldn't even remember who I am. But it's a risk I'm willing to take. There's a lot at stake."

"You're doing this just for di Angelo, aren't you?" I decide not to answer that, but move ahead. I only realize later that Will was right.


	3. Chapter 3

As soon as we step into the hangar, I begin to feel dizzy, my head spinning. The smell of the burning wood is overwhelming, its vapours making me feel drowsier by the second. I'm not sure if I am seeing things correctly, but Clovis seems to be the only one impervious to this. Will is staggering, steadying his head with one hand.

A man with silvery hair smiles upon us, sitting in front of the fire. Will collapses, and I try to help, but I'm too busy trying to keep myself fit to fight for us three. Clovis, seeing the man, frowns, his alert features contorting into disgust and fury.

"Morpheus," he growls. "We had enough trouble with you in the previous war. Are you here to help us? Has father sent you?"

"Easy, brother," he says, his voice soothing like a lullaby. The next thing I know, I crumple to the floor, my energy drained out of me. All I want is some sleep. And sweet dreams, not the visions I saw at Camp Half Blood. My wish is answered, as Morpheus offers me a hand, and I take it. What all I see next must be from a dream, because no matter how much I try, I cannot seem to come out of it. Invisible walls have entrapped me, returning my strength but leaving me powerless to help my friend.

Clovis is standing with his dagger unsheathed, glaring at Morpheus.

"You can't save them with strength, brother. What you need is talent. Your talent. That is all that can get your friends back, else they will be stuck in this dream, forever, watching the world be razed, bit by bit, its every fibre torn and destroyed. They will watch Western civilisation become a memory, and them living remainders of an era gone by."

He waves his hand across the air, joining me.

"You heard me, daughter of Athena. While my brother struggles to get you back, I will show you a glimpse of the future." And with that, I am pushed into a living nightmare. Literally.

I am standing in what I assume is a part of the Underworld. But the air smells acrid, like it is made of sulphuric acid. Try as I may, I can't go through this dream without breathing. But the Underworld doesn't have sulphuric acid for air. I know that.

I am in Tartarus. With no way back.

Nico is stumbling through the terrain, his breath rasping, echoing across the vast expanse. I want to run to him and pull him out with me, but I am rooted to spot. Like a patient in coma. A child of Athena, so useless. I feel like crying.

"Need, to, get, back," Nico utters, hacking another breath. He has gashes all along his arms. The Phlegethon flows nearby, and he rushes to its side, drinking the fire. He takes a deep breath and speaks, his voice hoarse. "Need, to, warn, Percy." Those are his last words before he falls down, unconscious.

The scene changes, and I bang my fists in front of the invisible wall, even try to break it with my dagger, but to no avail.

The camp is in ruins, Clarisse and the Ares cabin bound and held by demigods in purple. A blond boy stands over them, surveying them, with malice clear in his expression.

"Tut, tut, Graecus," he sneers as Clarisse struggles against her bonds. His lanky self is no match for her, so the only thing that seems probable is that she was overcome by an army. Nothing else could stop Clarisse and her siblings.

The other demigods have been restrained too, and the Athena campers look tired, yet rebellious. I see Malcolm amongst them.

"Surrender, you have a better chance. Rebel, and we shall finish you off," the boy speaks. As he finishes, Clarisse raises her head, spitting at his face.

"I'd rather die than surrender to you, **Romanus**," she growls. _**Romanus**_? It's possible this is the enemy demigod army recruited by our enemies. Nothing is a bigger insult than being called _Romanus_.

A voice of a lady speaks now, the boy's mouth moving like a grotesque puppet's. "_This is what you get for standing against me, Child of Olympus. No one stands up against the Earth Mother. _" _Earth Mother? __**Gaea?**_

This is just a bad dream. A bad dream. Gaea couldn't have woken up.

Or could she?

"His time is almost up," Morpheus mutters. I had forgotten the creep was still here, holding me prisoner. He has a wide smile on his face, satisfied and sinister. Suddenly I am yanked out in a very violent manner, and I open my eyes to see the grimy floor of the hangar. Morpheus is no longer here.

"Will! Diane! You alright?" Clovis runs up to us. "I thought that creepy brother of mine defeated me. That I'd lost you guys! You alright?" Will rubs his eyes, and by his expression, I can tell, he hasn't seen what I have.

"Did you just see what I saw?" He says incredulously. I shrug.

"Clovis here defeated a god with his talents? A _**god**_!" Clovis smiles sheepishly, and I stand up to hug him, only to have us both tumble down together. We now notice that Clovis is shivering, and Will whips out a vacuum packed bag of nectar.

"Here," he says, feeding some to Clovis. He approaches to offer me some, but I shake my head. I'm not weak enough to risk being turned to demigod dust. He takes out a granola bar and tosses it to me.

"What is this thing?" I ask, relishing the taste. It tastes just like sizzling brownies with chocolate.

"Nectar-flavoured granola bar. It's enchanted to taste like nectar. A tie up between the Hecate cabin and us Apollo kids." It is amazing, and just like nectar. Will helps me up, while Clovis stands, flexing his thin yet wiry arms.

"Let's move," he says. "I don't want Morpheus making another appearance."

"I don't think I'm fit enough to keep moving," I say. Even though I know we're short on time, I need rest. And I need to think over those visions. They probably will help us on our quest.

"I agree," Will says, raising a hand. "Let's just rest at a nearby place, and then get going."

"Agreed," Clovis says with a yawn. "I haven't caught up on my sleep." And for the first time, none of us tease him for saying that. We know he's earned that sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

We took a few minutes at a local Walmart, shopping for supplies. While Will and Clovis stocked up on food and medicines, I stock up on potential weapons. Toothpaste, for instance, and foil, as well as some chemistry-grade Potassium crystals - mix them together, wrap them in foil and you get a fearsome flash grenade.

After we finish paying for the items - the cashier giving me the odd eye and Will flirtatious looks, we leave.

"What's the rope and Potassium for?" she asks us.

"We're taking part in a science fair," I say. She doesn't say anything after that, but slips in a piece of paper in the bags. "For you," she tells Will. He takes a look at it and quickly throws it away. "Stupid mortal, thinks I have time," he grumbles. "But then, it seems like I do, useless as I was on the quest."

"You weren't," I reassure him. "This was Clovis' test, and he passed it magnificently. Even I was useless - no one else but Clovis could have achieved that." Clovis smiles at my appreciation of him and put an arm around Will. We keep walking till the end of the city limits, till we reach a road dotted with trees on both sides, and nothing else. There has to be a motel on this road. This is, after all, highway 32, the Topeka highway.

"Say what? We can stop there," I say, pointing to a quaint-looking motel. It looks sparsely populated. Perfect for us, since if a monster decides to attack us, there would be very few mortals to witness it - barely any collateral damage.

"How can I help you?" The receptionist asks us. His hair is slicked back, and he's dressed in a clean uniform. Seems pretty mortal.

"We need a room," Will says. The man smiles, and looks at me in a manner making me uneasy.

"Two rooms would do, wouldn't they? One for the young lady there, and one for two of you." His smile is more like a leer.

"We need a single room, for the three of us," Will repeats. I think he noticed the expression with which the man was looking at me, because his voice is clipped and short.

"I don't think the young lady would be comfortable staying in the same room as two young men."

"If I'm traveling with them, I think that makes me comfortable enough to stay with them," I retort. He smiles widely now.

"Then I don't think you'd mind spending the night with a man, rather than a boy, would you? A single room would do you good." Will takes him by the collar.

"Give us a single room, since there isn't another way for you. If you give us more than a single key, I'll make sure the second is stuck down your throat." He hastily takes out a card and gives it to us.

"Go," he tells me and Clovis.

"Why aren't you coming?" I ask him.

"Just got to give him the payment. You two get going," he tells us, and we head upstairs, but I decide to satisfy my curiosity and watch from the shadows.

"No one talks to my girlfriend like that, or even _**looks **_at her like that, get it? You try touching her, I'll make sure that's the last thing you do. If I find you even looking," he didn't end that.

We settle ourselves, and I ponder over Will's words. _**Girlfriend? **_That was obviously a tactical manoeuvre, to keep us out of harm. But I think we'd scared him enough already. He didn't need to play the 'boyfriend' card. Unless Will meant it. He returns, face grim.

"We should just stay the night," he tells us, looking at me now. "I don't like the sound of that guy. He is a creep who needs to know what's good for him. Anyways, we should, set course for L. A. in the morning. Get an Amtrak." Clovis hasn't heard the last part, for he's already asleep, snoring contentedly on his personal pillow.

"Will," I begin, taking out a chocolate covered granola bar, "why did you tell him that?"

"Tell him what?" He asks, taking off his T-Shirt and putting on another. This son of Apollo is really well-built, I must say. And gorgeous too. But nowhere close to Nico di Angelo after swordplay, with his sweat drenched T-Shirt in his hand. Let's just not think of all that. This isn't the time.

"The girlfriend part. It was really unnecessary," I say. He turns slightly pink, face flushed.

"I had to do that so that he wouldn't do that again. The way he was looking at you, like you're a piece of meat," Will spat the words with such vehemence I felt like recoiling. He looked close to murderous.

"I think we'd scared him enough."

"Guys like that never get scared enough. Sleep - I'll take first watch."

"I don't want any more nightmares." I take out my Kindle, which, thankfully, like laptops and tablets without an Internet connection, is safe from monsters. I read for a while, not realising when I slept off. The last thing I remember seeing was Will coming to the bedside, and I remember my head on the pillow. After that, I pass out. And even then, sleep does not easy to me.

The nightmares continue, Nico featuring chiefly. This time he is beside a river flowing so fast, yet so slow that it water looks white and transparent at the same time. _The struggle is useless. Why are you even trying, daughter of Athena? Give up. Give up, and you may live. Even then, why __**do **__you want to live? Only to die later in the war? Better to die now._

The voices were sad and sounded utterly hopeless. They had lost hope entirely. This had to be Cocytus, the river of Despair.

But the vice now changed. It was soft and purring.

_**Give up now, daughter of Athena. Join him, so that he may not suffer in isolation. At least you will have your final wish fulfilled.**_

"Pointless," Nico mutters. "All of this, just pointless." The river is affecting him badly, and it will kill him by drowning if I let the voice continue.

"Nico! Don't listen to it! The Cocytus is playing with you!"

"No one needs me," he mutters. "It's pointless to do anything when it will come to nothing." It was changing his mind, and I wouldn't let that hag do that to him.

"Nico! We need you! _**I **_need you! Please, hang on!" He turns around and looks at the dream me in Tartarus.

"Diane?" He looks around wildly. He can't see me that is for sure, else he would've had a heart attack by now.

_**Don't be a fool, Diane Cromwell. You are only leading yourself to your doom.**_

"I don't care. I'm not going to let you win, you old hag. I won't let you kill the son of Hades in his realm," I say loudly, hoping the message reaches her. She laughs in response.

_**He is already dying. From love, rejection, ignorance - how will you save him from that?**_

"I will. I'll prove it to you. I can, and will save him from Tartarus and from all of this."

_**Foolish girl. Your time will come soon, but not now. You have to wait for your death. But you will be fortunate. You will get to die the way you have chosen.**_

With that, my nightmare dissolves into dust.

"Di?" Clovis says. I sit up, looking around. I'm not in Tartarus. Not yet.

"What time is it?" I ask him.

"It's three in the night. Will was too tired, so I took over the watch from him."

"How did you wake up?"

"Nightmares," he says simply. "Morpheus taking revenge his way. He keeps sending me weird stuff every few _**hours **_in my sleep, as if random nightmares together combined would scare me out of my wits, but the last was worse than all the previous ones."

"What was it? Could be a vision. It could help us."

"I saw the camp in ruins, burning. Giants - a dozen of them, were fighting Percy, Thalia, and Annabeth - all of us. Well, we were fighting them. And losing."

"I saw the same thing too," I tell him the vision Morpheus showed me when he'd captured me. I skip the part containing Nico, not wanting to mount any pressure on anyone. That was my journey alone.

"Oh. I guess this is just some mind game he's playing with us. We'd better be focused." I can't help but agree.

"What time is it anyway?"

"It's three a.m."

"We'll wake up Will in three hours. Let's get moving before we get into any more trouble."

"Yeah. So," he yawns.

"Clovis, sleep. I'll take the watch from now."

"But I've just been awake for three hours!"

"You're yawning."

"I'm always yawning."

"You don't need to play a hero. Get some sleep. I've slept for five hours. I think I can handle three hours less of sleep."

"If you say so," he yawns, and begins snoring ten seconds later.

"Get up, guys," I say, shaking Will and Clovis. They both wake up with a start, and Will looks like the only one who hasn't had a bad dream.

"So, any clues where to next? Before L. A.?" Will asks. I shrug in response. As if, on cue, the bell rings and room service comes in. Just like a typical Hollywood film. We collect our things and head to breakfast, quickly eating some pizza, lasagne and fries. The breakfast is more of last night's dinner menu, and I have a feeling the menu never changes.

When we finish with our breakfast, we head back to the room, since Will is insistent on taking the instant noodles from the mini-bar.

"They're awesome! And besides, who know, we may never get the chance to stop at a store!" He offers as an argument. We open the cupboard to take all of them when a piece of paper kept underneath them falls down.

"What's this?" Clovis asks. I look at the sheet. It's a crossword.

_Finish this crossword and get the clue for the next step. _

"I got this," I say with a smile. Taking out a pen, I begin to solve it.

"1 across - Artemis' favourite food." That's simple. Apples.

"2 down - Nymphs' crazy cousins." _Crazy cousins? _Crazy nymphs... Maenads. The rest of the quiz asks similar questions, and I finally solve it.

"Done!" I yell triumphantly. "What's the answer?" The two ask, crowding around. "Lake Tahoe,'" I reply.

"Lake Tahoe? What's so special about Lake Tahoe?" Clovis says.

"It's got the biggest apple grove in California," Will answers. _You and di Angelo will need them. Badly. Take at least seven of them._

"We have to go apple-picking, guys."

"Apple-picking?"

"Yep. Apple-picking."


End file.
